In a most dramatic contest, comprising two Super Over deciders, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) held their nerve to eke out a heart-stopping win over reigning champions Mumbai Indians (MI) to most deservingly win two points and stay in the race for the Indian Premier League playoffs.
It was the evening game of IPL’s double-header Sunday on 18 October and Mumbai’s Rohit Sharma won the toss and posted 176/6 in 20 overs. In reply, KL Rahul scored 77 off 51 balls and the team eventually needed 22 from the last 2 overs and 9 off the last 6 balls. Hooda and Jordan could only manage 8 in the 20th and thus began the Super Over(s).
In the first Super Over, Mumbai Indians’ fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah once again stepped up when the team needed him. The lanky bowler had picked three wickets in the KXIP innings earlier and his lethal bowling saw KXIP lose the wickets of Nicolas Pooran and KL Rahul in the second and last deliveries of the Super Over. He conceded just 5 runs.
However, facing Mohammad Shami, Mumbai’s Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock scored just five with de Kock getting out off the last ball.
The match went into a second Super Over.
Mumbai batted first this time, sending Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard to start. Punjab gave the ball to Chris Jordan and he bowled two wide deliveries before sending back Pandya. Pollard tried to hit the last ball of the over for a six but a phenomenal fielding effort by Mayank Agarwal at the boundary line ensured they got just the two off the ball. He leapt back to catch the ball while being air-borne at long-on near the rope and threw it back in to deny Kieron Pollard a six. That turned out to be a decisive save as Mumbai scored 11 runs.
With the same batters from the first Super Over not allowed to come out again, Punjab sent out Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal. Gayle hit the first ball, bowled by Trent Boult, for a six and that set the pace for KXIP. They ran a single off the next ball and then Mayank finished off the game, hitting boundaries off the third and fourth balls to get the team home.
(With inputs from IANS)
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